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There are 25 replies in this Thread. The last Post (Feb 1st 2015, 2:06am) by lasbugas.

The Big Stampede (1932)

Plot Summary
Both Sam Crew and his gang and Sonora Joe and his men are rustlers
after a cattle herd just arriving. John Steele,
sent by the Governor, is out to stop them.
Greatly outnumbered, Steele's plan is to deputize Sonora and his men to fight the Crew gang.

The Big Stampede is a 1932 American film starring John Wayne.
It is a remake of the 1927 film Land Beyond the Law.

The 3rd. One of 6 films Duke made with Warner Bros. as re-makes of some
silent films, that Ken Maynard had made.

These Duke versions were made, to use up unused film, that WB had,
featuring Ken Maynard and his miracle horse.
They brought in Duke and Duke! The Wonder Horse,
and substituted them into the films!!
If you look closely, you can spot the difference,
between the two actors.
Even the two horses, are noticeably different.

The movie was advertised as
"Bring back the Old Time Matinee Business"

Reviewers commented more on the 5000 head of stampeding cattle
that added thrills to the final reel, than on the performance of the actors

I enjoyed this series, and they remain favourites,
as they were amongst the first VHS, I ever bought.

Duke earned, $1,500 per film and is quoted as saying

Each one, was lousier, than the last

I enjoyed this series, and they remain favourites,
as they were amongst the first VHS, I ever bought.

Through the 1930s, most of John Wayne's films were B-westerns--much like the films of the like of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers--though (in most cases) without the singing (don't even get me started on the silly 'Singing Sandy' films he made). In general, the films are above average for these sort of movies, though series B-movies were never meant as high art. The writing was extremely simplistic as were the characters, but thanks to Wayne's nice acting and some exceptional stunt-work, most of the films are a lot of fun for lovers of the genre. Now not all of his films of this type were created equal. Some (such as his Three Mesquiteer series) were very enjoyable while others (many of his films done for Leon Schlesinger) were really, really bad. As this is a Schlesinger film, my hopes were not set really high, as the last two I watched ("Ride Him Cowboy" and "Haunted Gold") were just awful--a surprise since the films were distributed by Warner Brothers-Vitaphone Studio--a bigger-name company and higher status company than than those that usually produced cheap B westerns. Is this one any better? I could only hope! The film begins with Wayne meeting with the governor and volunteering to become a marshal in New Mexico and bring its lawlessness under control. This is a very typical sort of plot but is interesting because the governor portrayed was a real-life guy--General Lew Wallace (Berton Churchill). Wallace was a Civil general, governor and author of "Ben Hur" and seeing him as a character surprised me.

Like his other films, his co-star is his horse, 'Duke'. This is a bit ironic, as 'the Duke' was later Wayne's nickname and, in general, this smart horse was the best thing going for these movies! It was so smart and talented, it could have rivaled Roy Rogers' beloved Trigger in intelligence and acting ability! As marshal, Wayne makes an apparently insane move and makes a low-down Mexican bandit-sort, Sonora, his deputy. Clearly, he must have read that he should do this in the script, as it made no sense--any sane lawman would have thought twice or three times before handing a badge to this guy! Yet, as I said, it was in the script, so you know it will work out for the better by the end of the film! And together they take on the chief baddie (Noah Beery). Can you guess who wins in the end?! The film has a better plot than most of the Schlesinger/Wayne films. The bad guy is also better and more memorable than most. As for the stunts, they are once again the highlight of the film. I assumed that it's Yakima Canutt in charge of the great stunt-work, but IMDb did not indicate this--meaning there must have been some other great stunt men doing some of these insanely dangerous and cool stunts OR it was a Canutt job after all but he just isn't credited. Regardless, the work is impressive even today and you wonder how they got anyone crazy enough to do these tricks! Overall, it's a very pleasant little B-film. Compared to other films in this crowded genre, it's very good. It certainly cannot be compared to a typical full-length western, but for what it is it's nice. My score of 7 is relative to other B westerns. What a pleasant surprise! By the way, if the name Schlesinger is familiar, it should be. He's the guy who oversaw production of cartoons for Warner Brothers for several decades. Apparently, I heard he hated cartoons and his job, but he was certainly a lot more successful with them than with B westerns.

Best WishesKeithLondon- England

The post was edited 9 times, last by ethanedwards (Mar 21st 2017, 2:26pm).

Well at least there is comfort in being able to tell the difference between Duke the actor and Duke the horse. I am reminded in watching these early films of how much John Wayne grew as an actor and that even if you start at the lowest point, you can truly become a success in so many ways...it just takes honest work and perserverance.

In reagrds to how much he made, I read that from Fred Landesman's wonderful book "The John Wayne Filmography". In regards to his comment about each of those cheapie 1930 westerns being worst than the last, that quote came from Maurice Zolotow's excellent read "Shooting Star".

Re: The Big Stampede (1932)

Funny you should ask. I'd heard of this film, and today, it was amongst 5 trailers on our Rio Bravo DVD. When we watched the trailer, I thought to myself, I don't remember watching this. Then I checked our list of owned films, and we don't even have it. That really surprised me, because the title seemed so familiar.

So now I'm curious to know - how many folks actually own a copy of The Big Stampede?

Re: The Big Stampede (1932)

For those who are interested in this film, Turner Classic Movies has it for sale either alone or part of a three movie set. Both are the same price (14.99), so I think the three movie set the better buy. Click this link..turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.…opping%3ASearch+less+Home and take a look.

Re: The Big Stampede (1932)

For those who are interested in this film, Turner Classic Movies has it for sale either alone or part of a three movie set. Both are the same price (14.99), so I think the three movie set the better buy.

Mark

I agree with Mark,
3 of the 6 Warner Brothers titles, fot the price of one.
Great value!!!
Here's our reviews on the other two,Ride Him CowboyHaunted Gold

Best WishesKeithLondon- England

The post was edited 1 time, last by ethanedwards (Apr 30th 2010, 8:46pm).

Re: The Big Stampede (1932)

You will be able to get these cheaper from other online shops. I bought both the Warner Brothers 3 movie DVD's when they were released. The other one contains The Telegraph Trail/Somewhere in Sonora/The Man From Monterey. I liked these movies even though they are pretty silly. Every fan should have these.